It’s common to have light bleeding or ‘spotting’ without pain before you’re 12 weeks pregnant (first trimester). There are a few reasons for this, including changes to the cervix (the entrance to the womb) and implantation bleeding (when the fertilised egg is embedding into the wall of the womb).
These are not serious issues, but you should always contact your doctor, midwife or Early Pregnancy Unit immediately to be checked, just in case.
If you have any bleeding during your pregnancy, with or without pain, it’s very important to get it checked out.
Bleeding in pregnancy after 12 weeks is not common and you should contact your local A&E or hospital maternity unit immediately so you can be checked.
Do not worry about wasting anyone’s time, no matter how little you are bleeding. Bleeding in pregnancy can be very worrying and you don’t need any extra anxiety or stress in pregnancy if this can be avoided.
Read more about bleeding in pregnancy.
Taking progesterone in early pregnancy
If you have miscarried before and are bleeding in early pregnancy, you may benefit from taking progesterone. This may help prevent a miscarriage. Find out more about taking progesterone in early pregnancy.
